DT: The first guest that we want to introduce is comedian Barry Segal. Good evening, Barry.

BRS: Hello

DT: And Barry’s interpreter this evening is David Evans. Good evening, David.

DE: Hi.

DT: That’s David’s voice that we are hearing. Barry, tell us about, as a blind/deaf comedian, what it is like, how do you create your material, and how did you get started performing.

BRS: Well, I started performing when I was nine years old. I had been in the theatre for years, growing up, already. And many of the characters that I tended to play were comedic. While I was living in Washington, DC, for four years, 2002-2006, I started to get involved with different shows. And I had trouble with that. And so I thought why don’t I make up my own show, why don’t I do a one-man show. Several people had talked to me about doing such a thing. And as a deaf /blind person, I thought that it would be unique. So I dressed up in drag and I came up with my ultra persona, Barbie Seaguy, which really came from a character that I had done back in High School. I dressed up one year for Halloween in drag and I thought that I could do that and add to the character. So I started doing local performances in DC and New York. And then did some in Seattle as well. Now that I am living back here at home in the Twin Cities, I am getting more and more involved in the theatre. And so far I am having a really great time with it. And the shows that I do, talk about being deaf, being deaf blind, being gay, being Jewish, having to deal with interpreters, my family, all of the various pieces that make up who I am and all of the experiences that I have had in my life. So some of it’s serious, some of it’s funny. But all of it’s good.

DT: I was very happy to see your show last Saturday. And I loved your energy—very high energy. And of course you looked beautiful in your lovely drag costume (JT laughs). I was especially touched by the stories that are about your uniqueness: the blind, deaf, gay, Jewish qualities—things I wouldn’t normally think of. For example—we can’t go into some of the details of the stories because they’re a little naughty— (JT laughs)

BRS: (laughs) Well, yes…

DT: But there was a very interesting story about a woman who didn’t have any top on—you could not see her sign. I thought that was very interesting, I would never think such a thing—or if someone was wearing a white shirt—you wouldn’t be able to see someone sign. Tell us a little bit about how some of that works.

BRS: Well for me, communication happens on the hands, and in order for me to be able to see the hands, I need to have a contrasting background behind it. So, if the person is Caucasian and wearing a light-colored shirt, their hands disappear. Likewise, if an African-American person is wearing a dark-colored shirt, their hands disappear. So, the color has to be contrasting to the person’s skin tone. The person in question was a lesbian, and was at a music festival and was topless. And, well, as you know, there is no contrasting color (Dixie begins laughing) between your hands and whatever you may be seeing flopping around there without your shirt on (everyone laughing now)…so I couldn’t see anything. I was in my early twenties and hadn’t learned to communicate tactily yet—with the person signing into my hand—I can do that now, but back then I wasn’t proficient at that sort of communication. So, I was really lost. I tried my best to understand what she was saying, (laughter in studio) and we tried our best to find ways to mitigate the situation, but it was tough, and there was much skin flopping around. (Laughter in studio)

DT: Let me briefly mention—you do say you’re blind, but you can see a little bit very close up, yes?

BRS: Yes. I have what’s called “optic atrophy,” and it’s been a condition I’ve had my entire life, but after high school, my vision really went down, and so I’ve had to have things much closer. I used to have 20/50 vision, but after high school it went to 2500. So, legally, I am considered blind, and I’m a part of the deaf-blind community, and it’s nice because it’s a group of people who have the same values, the same needs, we share a common experience. So, culturally, we’re more similar: we know that we need to be close when we talk, we can’t see small print, some colors don’t register for us, just things like that. Some people have blind spots—they can only see in certain areas and not in others. And some people just have blurry vision, but there’s nothing that they can do about it.

DT: One of your other stories I found interesting—actually, there were many—but let’s talk first about the cane stories. There were a couple of those about, how, when you walk down the street without your cane, no one cares. But with your cane, everyone scatters like a bug (Dixie laughs). I thought that was really funny. And, of course, the rainbow on your cane, let’s mention that - For attracting men… (DT JT laugh)

BRS: You know, it’s really great. It’s kind of an augmentation to gay-dar. (whole studio laughs) What’s interesting about the cane is that it’s useful for different purposes. I use it because I can’t see now so my gay-dar’s not what it used to be, but when I have it, people seem to treat me with more respect. When I don’t have the cane, it’s hard for me to get help, people ignore me, and it’s kind of like people turn rude. So, I’ve had good experiences since I’ve had the cane. Living in New York and then D.C., I really found out having the cane is an asset. It got me the help and the attention that I needed. And I have to say, there were some advantages that came along with it. (DT giggles)

DT: One of the other stories I found interesting was the McDonald’s story—not necessarily GLBT-centered—but about people who may not see well and who are blind-deaf. Tell us a little bit about ordering at McDonald’s.

BRS: Well, I went up to the front counter and I wasn’t able to order. So what we ended up doing is going out to the drive-thru because you know they have that large menu you can get right up close to. And so I was able to–I was with a friend who was also deaf-blind, who’s actually much more blind than I was—and we just stood there in the drive-thru and I read. (DT giggles) I got right up close, my nose pressing up against the glass, and I read off the menu items one-by-one to him, telling him exactly what was on there. You can imagine the cars were piling up behind us, these two guys standing there, (DT JT giggle) one’s got his nose pressed to the glass, and it was because McDonald’s didn’t have any sort of menu that we could look at up close to see. So this was our work-around—they weren’t very happy about it, but it worked for us.

DT: Very interesting. So, next time you see people standing in the drive-thru, they may be blind-deaf.

JT: That’s right.

BRS: Exactly. That’s good, thank you for saying that. And if people see that, have some patience with this—

DT: Mm Hmm

BRS: it’s diversity in action. Especially if you see the white cane, or you see people moving their hands, then that can really be a tip-off that something different is going on.

JT: Good to know.

BRS: And often times it means you’re going to find some embarrassed staff-people working in the restaurant, (Dixie John giggle) because they weren’t able to meet our needs so we went about meeting them ourselves.

DT: And hopefully people who are listening now who work at restaurants will now go to their employers and tell them about this, and make sure that they have large-print menus either posted or available for people.

BRS: Yeah, that’d be great, thanks for saying that.

JT: And you are going to be playing at the Queer Boys Marathon Friday, July 20th …

BRS: Friday, July 20th and Saturday, July 21st

JT: Is it July or June?

BRS: It’s July-Patrick’s Cabaret

JT: ok right, Friday, July 20th and Saturday, July 21st

BRS: Yes, I’ll be doing Barbie Seaguy, so I will be in drag.

JT: And you’re going to be with several other people, like Joe Chavala’s going to be there, Todd Jay, Xavier Rice, Empowered Expressions, Charles Chavinsky and Mateo Kelly Halivson…tell us a little bit about what you will be doing there.

BRS: I’ll be doing some of my one-man show, mostly gay- and lesbian-themed, so I’m coming up with new stuff. But of course I will be talking about being deaf and blind as well. And Dixie, what you saw some of the other night, some of those pieces will be in there. Typically because it’s such a short show—20 minutes each night—I have to be really careful and pick the best material. So, it’ll be a good show.

DT: David, tell us—

BRS: Hold on—with a wonderful interpreter who is actually my voice for the evening, David Evans, (DT: tah dah!) who will be interpreting for me at Patrick’s Cabaret.

DE: And I didn’t tell him to say that. (Studio laughs)

DT: David tell us I little bit about your interpreting business.

DE: Well, I provide interpreting services locally in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area as well as nationally, primarily I interpret for conferences so - I’m on planes a lot in other states. I also train other interpreters locally and nationally. And this weekend I will be at the Pride Festival. I’ll be on the Stonewall Drag Stage all day Saturday, Sunday interpreting Taylor Dayne Saturday night and the Block Party Sunday night and the Gay Men’s Chorus tomorrow night (DT JT “wow!”)
So I have a full weekend.

DT: You sure do

JT: Wonderful

DT: And you both mentioned that there will be a booth in the park for deaf.

DE: This is Barry again

DT: Ok

BRS: Yes the Rainbow Alliance of the Deaf-MNRAD is going to have their booth and it will be right near the Stonewall Stage that David just mentioned so that you can see the stage from the booth. The booth will be there all day Saturday and Sunday and both people who are deaf and people who hear but can sign will be working at it. And I’m also going to be involved with it and I’m going to be involved with the parade too-with a Gay-Lesbian Jewish group (DT: alright!) so I will be walking with them. (JT: that’s great) But I will be at the MNRAD booth as well-probably volunteering or just helping out so if you see me come up and say hi! I wish I could perform but the schedule was full so maybe next year I’ll get on the docket.

JT: Barry, you’ve won some titles haven’t you? Tell us a little about that.

BRS: Yes I was Mr. RAD which is the Rainbow Alliance of the Deaf in 2001. It’s a national pageant. I lived in New York at the time and I flew out to Seattle to compete. Every year there is the Rainbow Alliance of the Deaf Convention and so I competed and won the two year term and I had to go to the next conference in Florida to pass along my title to the next winner. My pageant talent portion was a modern jazz dance. (DT JT wow!) That was what helped me win and it was really impactful to the audience because they thought “Deaf and Blind and he can dance!”
(DT: laughs,JT: my gosh) I grew up dancing though and I grew up performing, there are many different hats that I wear.

JT: That’s quite an accomplish…you’re quite an accomplished man

BRS: Yah, another hat that I have is an artist. I own my own art business and I’ve been doing that for three years. I sell pieces nationally, I travel to festivals and fairs as well as people come to my home and order. My website is www.uniquetouchart.com , all one word, and you can see some of the pieces I’ve done there and order them too. I also just did a show at Stevens Square, excuse me, Stevens Square Park so I did a show and I was selling artwork while I was there. And that next week in June I went to a conference, which was the Minnesota Association of Deaf Citizens, MADC Conference and I sold my artwork there as well. (DT:mm hmm) So my two main hats for the past several years have been performing and art. As well as currently I’m involved in a documentary that’s being made (DT:mmm) so I’ve been interviewed for that and I’ve been interviewed several times. A man named Brian Schiller is producing that and this past weekend when I performed he came and filmed and interviewed me afterwards- so that’s another exciting thing I have going on. I’ve also I should say… I’m working on writing a one-man play.
I don’t know when exactly it’s going to be finished but it’s about a deaf /blind /gay Jewish man who’s in a relationship with a sighted person who can hear and so (DT: interesting) it will be rife with cultural conflict (DT laughs) and I don’t know when it will be done but I’m working on it.

DT: All right. Thank you so much for coming on the show tonight. David would you like to give us your website please.

BRS: Yup. I hope you can see me in July, or the parade or anytime in the future. I have upcoming shows all over the Twin Cities and I’m excited about it

DT: All right thank you so much.

JT: Thanks Barry.

DT: Ok we’re going to take a break and play a song and we will be back shortly. This is Fresh Fruit on KFAI

Song: “Johnny Are You Queer?” performed by Josie Cotton

DT: This is Fresh Fruit and we are back. We have another guest in the studio with us. Mr. Dean Otto. Hello.

DO: Hi

JT: Hi Dean

DO: Hi John, hi Dixie

JT: Film curator of Queer Takes at the Walker Art Center and I’ll tell you this is one extraordinary
grouping of films. It’s really in some ways the best international film festival locally for queer films the past couple of years and I thought it was fabulous last year Dean but I think this year you’ve got even a broader range I believe.

DO: Thank you.

JT: There are more lesbian oriented films this year as well, which is really nice to see.

DO: Last year I was a bit embarrassed by the kind of weak showing of really good lesbian work.
I mean I had the opportunity if I wanted to, to play some pretty dreadful films that opened up later throughout the year in other venues too, and I think people would have been extremely disappointed
So I set the bar high.

JT: This year you have “Spider Lilies”. Didn’t that win the Teddy Award?

DO” It did win the Teddy Award, which is kind of like the gay Oscars.

JT: Right.

DO: The Berlin Film Festival every year has a really great selection of emerging queer filmmakers and films as well. And they stage a big awards ceremony at the festival each year. It kind of rivals the competition section of it too. It’s an awards ceremony that’s broadcast live on German television as well so it’s an enormous honor. We’re starting out the festival with “Spider Lilies”
Which won the best feature film back in February.

JT: And that plays on June 27th at 7 pm (DO: Hmm Hmm) at the Walker. I can’t wait to see that and it’s from Taiwan… Zero Chou is the Director and it’s about two women and a spider lily tattoo.
DO: Yah, it’s about a tattoo artist who becomes intrigued with a customer who comes in who is
very adamant about getting a spider lily tattoo which has a huge amount of significance for her and
her family because her father has had this spider lily tattoo as well. When she does a little more
investigation into this customer she finds out that they’ve shared a past together when they were
children as well. They become lovers but it’s a very, very tense situation between the two. (JT: oh
wow)I thought it was a wonderful film and while I secured the screening here with the distributors
from Taiwan in the subsequent months it was just picked up for US distribution as well too. (DT:
hmm hmm) That’s always been the difficult part of programming - that you have very little lag
time in between the times when these films are premiering and when we’re doing our screenings
too.

DT: Can we get an overview of the festival, you know –how many films there are or are they broken
into certain categories or is there a different theme each night –how does that work?

DO: It does change a little bit thematically. On Wednesday night there are two films from Taiwan, which has had this huge resurgence in queer film, making. And we always partner together with the Target Free Thursdays program too to present the shorts programs for free. The rest are mixtures of documentaries and new feature films including the really exciting “Itty Bitty Titty Committee” (everyone laughs) which is getting a whole lot of press right now and it’s just really taking the queer film festival circuit by storm.

DT: And why is that?

DO: Pretty much the kind of rollicking nature of the film and that it’s a very in your face progressive lesbian comedy as well. (DT: ok)It’s the type of film that people have been really really looking forward to.

DT: hmm hmm. And where was that one made?

DO: It’s actually produced by an organization called Power Up in Los Angeles. It’s a group of professionals within the film community, the feature film community, who said why aren’t there more lesbian feature films and what do we need to do in order to encourage that and encourage a group of young lesbian filmmakers, and so they underwrote probably about fifteen short films and this is their first feature film that they’re producing as well. They provided production grants, technical assistance as well. “Debs” which played a couple years ago in the LGBT film festival here was produced as a short for them and played at Sundance, got a ton of attention and then was expanded into a feature film which had a theatrical run and played widely as well. I really think that that has been an amazing organization to really jump-start the careers of a lot of filmmakers- like Angela Robinson – who did “Debs”. Right from “Debs” she went onto making the new “Love Bug” film as well (everyone laughs) so there is this kind of cross over and she kind of brought a queer sensibility (DO laughs) to that film. I don’t know if you’ve seen that as well so (DO/JT laugh) but you would hardly think that somebody went from making a lesbian feature right into making work for Disney. (laughs)

JT: And you also have a film that was Jean Genet’s only film I believe that was banned in the 1950s
called “Un Chant d’ amour, A Song of Love”

DO: Actually we have a print of that film in the Walker’s film and study collection. I was really interested in playing that in the festival and then about six months ago I discovered that there is a brand new 35mm print of the film that is the uncensored version of that film as well. I remember seeing it as a teenager and just being completely blown away. It was major in my coming out and the development in my professional career. I grew up in a very small town where we didn’t have much access to queer images and Vito Russo’s “The Celluloid Closet” really just became my bible for the list of films I really needed to see.

DT: That’s one thing we didn’t ask Lily Tomlin about when we had her on. We spoke with Lily Tomlin the last week of May and she was involved as the narrator and executive producer of “The Celluloid Closet” (film)

DO/JT: Oh yeah, right

DT: but we only had so much time.

DO/JT: Right

DT: Anyway we need to take a brief break. You’re listening to Fresh Fruit on KFAI 90.3 FM Minneapolis and 106.7 FM St. Paul, Radio Without Boundaries

PSA announcement
Song: “Start Leading Me On” performed by the Cliks
PSA announcement

DT: We’re back. I just wanted to mention before that last announcement that was the Cliks
“Start Leading me On” and we were going to be able to have an interview with their lead singer Lucas tonight but luckily for them they are on the True Colors Tour, which is spear-headed by Cyndi Lauper and the Human Rights Campaign and they’ve been booked on some more tours, I mean shows so hopefully we can reschedule that interview.

JT: And we are talking with Dean Otto the curator of Queer Takes film series at the Walker that will be opening very soon. Dean, there’s an anti-assimilation sense about these films you’re bringing to us. Tell us about that.

DO: When I was looking over the films I was interested in and looking at themes I really noticed that there were many filmmakers who really were focused on a kind anti-assimilationist bent in the fact that they- I think there’s a kind of growing unrest about the kind of commercialization of gay culture right now. I think you can see that even with the music like Beth Ditto from The Gossip and other new magazines that are coming to the forefront like Butt Magazine out of Amsterdam and Lesbians to the Rescue that Kay Hardy has been working on too. And just this whole sense of more acceptance to a different body image, especially in terms of Beth Ditto being a very Rubenesque woman and being very out front with her sexuality as well, to Butt Magazine where instead of air brushed waxed gay men it’s all body types too in celebrating that.
I see that locally as well with the emergence of organizations like Revolting Queers who have been out there to celebrate more openness to the community and start to question the commercialization of Pride and they’re going to be marching in the Pride parade this weekend and are out there to support other artists, writers and musicians who are commenting in a more inclusive culture.

JT: We had Heime Carrara on last month. He did a one-person show called Soltero. It was a frank look at having different partners and being a gay man. And he felt he was often judged by other queer people because he didn’t adhere to the same monogamous stereotype that a lot gay people think we’re supposed to.

DT: Because the pendulum has swung the other way now.

JT: Right

DO: I think it’s because-I think straight culture has given so much more priority and coverage to the issue of gay marriage, adoption and (JT: gays in the military) I think in the nineties a lot of gay people started organizing, saying that gay people are a really great market just in terms of marketing and commercials and other things too. And Madison Avenue and Wall Street really saw that and it’s come at the expense of a more diverse community.

JT: The Queer Takes will give us a counter point to that.

DO: Oh definitely

JT: It plays June 27th thru the 30th at the Walker, www.walkerart.org
The new addition is wonderful and you can take a look at the museum when you’re there as well at 1750 Hennepin Avenue in Minneapolis. And also the Modes of Disclosure Gallery has..what would you call it?

DO: It’s actually the Form and Content Gallery and it’s an exhibition called Modes of Disclosure.

JT: Right

DO: It’s a queer art exhibition that’s going to be running July 5th thru August 9th and one of the filmmakers who’s work is screening in Queer Takes, William E. Jones, will have a piece in that exhibition called Mansfield 1962.

JT: It has to do with the entrapment of gay men or the entrapment of men in public toilets.

DO: Right

JT: Thank you Dean Otto. We’re so pleased with the work that you’re doing and with all the different voices and images that you’re bringing forth about queerness. It’s good to know that you are out there. Go to www.walkerart.org. Queer Takes: Standing Out the queer film series. I’ve seen some of them and they’re terrific.

DT: Let’s take a quick break and we’ll return. You’re listening to Fresh Fruit on KFAI with TNT

JT: TNT (DO laughs)

DT: All right

Song: I’d Love to Take Orders from You performed by Mildred Bailey Her Swing Band
Song: We’ll Always Walk Together by composer Ricky Ian Gordon

DT: That was “We’ll Always Walk Together” by Ricky Ian Gordon. And that was something that he started writing while his lover was dying from AIDS and completed after that. It went into a musical named Dream True which was released last year in 2006. And before that we heard a couple of tunes I played from a new release entitled “A Date with John Waters”. Of course he selected a mixture to go on this CD, we heard “I’d Love to Take Orders from You” (JT laughs) by Mildred Bailey Her Swing Band and earlier in the show we heard “Johnny Are You Queer?” by Josie Cotton and that’s from “A Date with John Waters”

JT: The musical film version of Hairspray comes out later this month so that’ll be interesting. I love the stage version so I hope the film version is as good. Anyway folks it’s Pride weekend so on Saturday and Sunday it’s the 35th Anniversary of LGBT Pride Twin Cities at Loring Park in downtown Minneapolis (DT: heehee!) Saturday 10 am to 10 pm, Sunday 10 am to 6 pm and guest what? TNT – Dixie Treichel my dear friend and myself John Townsend are going to be MCing, would we call?, the parade

DT: We’ll be at the second Grand Stand, which will be located at Hennepin and 13th

JT: That’s by Café Espresso Royale.

DT: That’s right

JT: And it’s from 11 am to 2 pm. You can contact 612-305-6904 or just go to events at tcpride.org

DT: And also we want to mention we will be at the parade and Fresh Fruit host Norman Strizek will be in the studio here playing tunes and we will be calling in with people who will be interviewed on site. Just a couple of announcements, Sunday June 24th at the Minnesota Zoo the Indigo Girls (JT: oh I love them) will be performing at 7:30 pm www.mnzoo.com and on July 5th k.d. lang will be in town (JT: oh my gosh) at Northrup Auditorium 612-624-2345. And the 21st thru the 23rd is Queertopia which will be at Intermedia Arts that’s at 8pm 612-871-4444 and the performances on the 23rd are ASL and Audio Described.

JT: Yah and Queertopia’s got a great roster of performers. On June 22nd and 23rd, that’s Friday and Saturday, Twin Cities Gay Men’s Chorus concert Glitter and Be Gay, music from gay composers (DT: snap!) at the Ted Mann Concert Hall at 8 pm contact 612-624- 2345 or chorus@tcgmc.org . Also on the 23rd that’s Saturday, Open Arms from 10 am to 3 pm at the Whole Foods Market Lake Calhoun location, fundraiser for Open Arms South Africa. There will be 1000 pieces of Monkey Biz beaded art for purchase and 100% of the proceeds go to their South Africa programs that’s www.wholefoods.com and then Saturday June 23rd 9 pm, Twin Cities annual Dyke March starts from Walker Art Center and goes to downtown Minneapolis, after party at the new women’s bar Pi 24th street at 25th place in south Minneapolis www.mypace.com/tcavengers or tcavengers@yahoo.com

DT: and the 22nd thru the 24th is the Color Coordination Conference, an uplifting and community building conference for GLBT people of color and their allies. That’ll be at Minneapolis Community Technical College -for information 612-625-0537 or www.glbta.umn.edu

JT: On the 27th at the library the Carol Connelly Reading Series for Pride month author readings and hear some of the finest GLBT writers in the Twin Cities at the Central Library, event begins at 6 pm

DT: and on the 22nd is the Twin Cities Trans March 2007 at Gold Medal Park over by the Guthrie, starts at 7:30. They will have vibe watchers, a private changing space and an accessibility vehicle, for information call 651-263-8350 or tctransmarch@yahoo.com . And of course we want to mention tonight and tomorrow night at Orchestra Hall is the Queen of Comedy Lily Tomlin, who we were proud to have on our show- for information 612-371-5656. And I wanted to mention what we didn’t get to talk with her about in our interview. She has two new projects coming up, a film called “The Walker” with Lauren Bacall and Woody Harrelson where Woody plays an out gay escort man and also a new series on HBO called “12 Miles of Bad Road”. So that’s it for tonight. Happy Pride Month everyone!